Cross-country variations in capital structure adjustment—The role of credit ratings

Yu-Li Huang and Chung-Hua Shen

International Review of Economics & Finance, 2015, vol. 39, issue C, 277-294

Abstract: This paper investigates how cross-country variations in institutional variables affect the relationship between rating changes and firms' capital structure adjustment. Our results demonstrate first that the asymmetric effect exists, that is, firms adjust their capital structure when ratings are downgraded, but do not significantly adjust their leverage ratios when ratings are upgraded. Second, capital structure adjusts faster in countries with better financial development and strong legal and institutional environments than in weak ones, regardless of the upgraded and downgraded rating changes. Hence, the financial development and legal and institutional environments are more crucial in affecting the leverage ratio adjustments than the rating change directions.

Keywords: Capital structure; Credit rating; Partial adjustment model; Legal and institutional environments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reveco:v:39:y:2015:i:c:p:277-294

DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2015.04.011

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